The present invention relates to hand-held striking tools and, more particularly, to such striking tools incorporating a vibration-damping element.
As is well known, tools for striking various objects such as hammers, sledges, rackets and the like exhibit substantial vibrations in the handle as a result of the impact. These vibrations are transmitted to the hand and arm of the person wielding the tool or racket and tend to produce fatigue and discomfort.
There have been a number of efforts to reduce the amount of vibrations which are transmitted to the user including providing damping material between the head and handle, production of composite handles incorporating substantial amounts of dampening material, incorporating damping devices within the handles themselves and fabrication of handles with natural frequencies tending to offset the frequency of vibration in the head. Exemplary of such efforts are Vaughn U.S. Pat. No. 3,208,728, Curry U.S. Pat. No. 2,850,331, Beegle U.S. Pat. No. 2,067,751, Saylor U.S. Pat. No. 2,917,349 and Vaughn U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,742.
Various problems are encountered in the incorporation of damping devices within the handle including the engagement of the damping device in a prescribed position within the handle, the effective transmittal of the vibrations from the head to the damping device, and the protection of the damping device from water, oil and other materials which might cause it to deteriorate. Exemplary of efforts to produce such damping devices are the handle structures shown in Simms U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,046 issued Nov. 8, 1994, VanRaendonck U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,586 issued Jun. 26, 1990, Douglas et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,453 issued Mar. 10, 1992, and Takatusuka et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,947 issued Mar. 14, 1989.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel hand-held striking tool which incorporates a damping mechanism in the handle.
It is also an object to provide such a striking tool in which the damping mechanism is securely positioned within the handle and to which the vibrations are effectively transferred from the striking head.
Another object is to provide such a striking tool which can be simply and readily fabricated and assembled.
A further object is to provide a novel method for assembling a striking tool having a damping mechanism securely positioned within its handle.